


The Art of a Broken Promise

by sharonsnatalia



Series: Femslash February 2k18 [2]
Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-19 05:00:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13697364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharonsnatalia/pseuds/sharonsnatalia
Summary: Snapshots of love intertwined with a goodbye.





	The Art of a Broken Promise

**Author's Note:**

> I edited this myself, so all mistakes are mine.
> 
> Minor comic spoilers.

The scene set was a familiar one. Jonah on one side. Karolina on the other. Both alight with a magnitude of prismatic, shifting light.

“Karolina, don’t do this.” Nico pleaded. She wrapped a hand around Karolina’s arm. Eyes pleading with Karolina to run away with her, she tried to pull her in the direction of the others ran in. “I can’t lose you.” Desperation dripped off her words, and her wide, dark brown eyes reflected a pain that only an unlucky few had the displeasure of knowing.

Still, Karolina kept her footing, not budging as Nico tried to pull her away to safety. She couldn’t leave, not when she finally had the chance to defeat Jonah. “It’s too late for me give up. If I give up, he wins. I need to do this. I have to do this for all of us, for—”

“Everyone in Los Angeles. Maybe even the world, Nico. I have to do this.”

A smirk on his face, Jonah said, “Don’t worry. I’ll allow some time for some heartfelt goodbyes. Young love is heartwarming, really.”

(Everything felt like it had back then.)

* * *

The motel was dingy and almost too expensive for them. But the walls of the Leapfrog had proven suffocating in the past two weeks and sleeping in it left all involved with a sore back. The rancid scent that they almost grew used to grew worse every day and the Leapfrog only trapped the scent of sweat and blood. Everyone was in desperate need of a shower and a good night’s sleep.

“Two to a room?” Chase offered as they pushed open the doors. After various hums of agreement, he continued. “So, Gert and I will take one room and—”

“Gross.” Molly cut him off.

Gert spoke, “Molly and I will be sharing a room. We could use some sister time.  You can bunk with Alex for tonight, Chase.” She wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulder. “What do you say, Mol?”

Molly nodded.

Chase opened his mouth, a protest on the tip of his tongue., but Alex spoke before he got the chance, “Molly and Gert. Chase and I. Nico and Karolina.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Karolina chimed in before anyone could change their minds.

As they walked down the hall to their rooms, Nico wrapped her arm around Karolina’s and pressed herself into Karolina’s side. “You want to be my roommate, huh?”

A pink hue crept onto Karolina’s cheeks. “If I remember correctly from our sleepover days, you are a great roommate.”

Nico stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to Karolina’s lips

* * *

Nico shook her head. “I can’t lose you. I’d lose it if I lost you.”

Goodbye hurt. Karolina knew it would. But she underestimated the ache she would feel as she tried to urge the girl she loved since childhood to leave her while she attempted to save the day. The sun was being ripped from the sky, the moon crushed between the fingers of a cruel god, the stars pushed aside, eternal darkness settled upon the earth.

This was love. She was sure of it—had been since the first time she pressed her lips to Nico’s. Love. She never paid it much mind when she thought was supposed to imagine her hand clasped in a boy’s or sharing a bed with a boy or saying I do while standing across from a man in a suit. Now, it was all that she could think about when she didn’t have to worry about Gibbourium and their parents. She thought of Nico’s lips against her own, of sharing a bed with Nico, of standing across from Nico and saying

She wanted to tell Nico she loved her, wanted to promise herself to Nico for as long as her heart still beat, wanted to wrap her arms around Nico, wanted to never let her go, wanted to grow old with Nico and cherish her love forever. But more than that, she didn’t want their goodbye to be declarations of love and of an eternity of kisses and embraced and love lost. It felt all too cliche. And it felt all too painful to ruin their first  _I love you_ 's with the ache in her chest. She swallowed those three words before they even threatened to leave her lips.

“You have to go. He’ll hurt you.”

“He’s going to hurt you, Karolina! I can’t—I can’t just leave!”

Karolina closed her eyes.

* * *

Chase leaned over the Leapfrog, the hood up and a tool in his hand. Grease coated his face in streaks. Only a few parts of his hands escaped the grease. Gert watched him and offered bits of conversation every once in awhile. Molly napped in the back of the Leapfrog, curled up with a stuffed cat they bought her from a Goodwill. Alex was taking a walk in the forest.

In that moment, Karolina and Nico existed in their own bubble as they sat in front of the makeshift campfire. The buzz of bugs, Gert and Chase’s sporadic bursts of conversation, and Molly’s faint snores faded into nothingness. The only things that existed to either girl, other than each other, were the warmth the fire gave off, Karolina’s breathes, and the heartbeat they shared.

Nico rested her head on Karolina’s shoulder. They held hands, and Karolina wrapped her free arm around Nico’s waist. She turned her head, pressing a kiss to Nico’s forehead.

“It’s beautiful here.” She said, her tone full of admiration for the picturesque scene of trees spread out across rolling hills and sprawling mountains in front of them.

Nico hummed in agreement before she frowned. “We are going to have to leave eventually.”

“Let’s just enjoy the view for a while, Nico.” Karolina sighed.

She closed her eyes and imagined a life where this view could be permanent, a life where she always felt this content every day, a life where their parents weren’t murderers. The, she imagined the future. The future that played out in front of her eyes was full of Nico, smiling, happy, and the sound of small feet running in the halls. She opened her eyes. Dreaming left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“Of course.”

* * *

 Karolina opened her eyes. She stared at Nico and studied the worry that darkened her beautiful, brown eyes. Her eyes drifted down towards lips painted dark red.

She didn’t want to die. More than that, she didn’t want to leave Nico alone. The thought was enough to make tears well in the corners of her eyes. Yet, if that meant Nico was safe, she would gladly risk her life, gladly sacrifice herself if it meant that Nico and their friends got to continue breathing and find some semblance of normalcy in life. In that moment, she felt smaller than she ever had before. Her heartbeat didn’t compare to the heartbeat of any one of her friends. They were better than her.  

She steeled herself. As she looked at her girlfriend, she knew she couldn’t risk weakness now, not when risking weakness meant risking Nico and their friend’s lives. She reached up and wiped away her tear before they could fall. Then, she wrapped her arms around Nico.

* * *

 Topher stood in front of them. His fangs shined in the moonlight. A wicked smirk spread across his lips. “Teenagers, always so optimistic and trusting, still thinking you have any power to change the world.  I almost feel bad.”

It reminded Karolina of their parents. Disgust and worry coursed through her veins in that moment. She spoke before she could think, not that any rational thought would have mattered to her, “Kill me first.” She pleaded. It would give her friends time to think of a way to escape. She surged forward before anyone could protest.

Nico grabbed her arm. “Karolina, don’t.”

Karolina yanked her arm out of Nico’s grasp. “I have to.”

In an instant, a pale arm wrapped around her and fangs sunk into her neck, but only for a second. A scream left Topher’s lips, and his skin cracked, sunlight escaping through the cracks. Within an instant, he disintegrated into a pile of dust.

Nico ran forward and wrapped her arms around Karolina. “Don’t ever do that again. You aren’t allowed to sacrifice yourself for us.” She said in a frantic, rushed tone. Tears ran freely down her face. “Promise me. Promise me, Karolina.”

“I promise.” Karolina said. She reached over and wiped Nico’s tears away.

* * *

 Karolina rested her hands on the back of Nico’s neck. She leaned down, and Nico reached up. Their lips met. Nico wrapped her arms around her waist, her hands settling on the small of her back.

Karolina pulled away. Nico pressed her lips to Karolina’s once again. Repeated three times.

“Nico, please, you need to go. I can’t let you get hurt.”

Now, Nico nodded but the same fear Karolina remembered from months ago reflected clearly in her all-too expressive eyes. “I love you.” With that, she left before Karolina even got to reply to her declaration.

* * *

Rain beat down on the roof of the Leapfrog. It didn’t create a distinct pattern. Rather, it created a constant and sporadic pitter-pattering of rain against the metal roof. The rain and the cool temperatures it brought cooled the metal, leaving it cold to the touch.

Karolina leaned against the Leapfrog’s inner wall, the cold metal brushing against her bare arms, watched the sliding door. She placed her hands on the rough carpeting. She never liked rain. She much preferred sunny days—something that made much more sense when it was discovered she was a solar-powered alien. Closing her eyes, she ignored the sound of the rain and the cold that it brought with it. At the sound of the door opening, she opened her eyes.

The sliding door opened and Nico’s face, coated in the dark makeup she normally wore, greeted Karolina. Her eyeshadow was smeared, and eyeliner ran down her face. Rain soaked her hair and her clothes. She carried multiple bags of junk food and snacks from the convenience store. She climbed into the van, followed by Chase and Molly, each towing armfuls of bags.

Karolina frowned. “You are soaked,” She sighed and reached forward to grabs some the bags from Nico. “You all need to change.”  

She placed the bags on in the area where they kept supplies. Reaching into the clothes bags, she pulled out outfits for each of them, After she turned back to face her three soaked friends, she held the clothes out for them to grab.

“Yes, mom.” Chase joked and grabbed his clothes from Karolina.

The other two followed suit

Karolina sat back down.

After she changed, Nico took a seat beside her. She leaned her head on Karolina’s shoulder. “I’m cold.”

A red hue reached Karolina’s cheeks before she spoke. “We could cuddle.”

“You could, uh, glow, too. That’s pretty warm.” Now, Nico blushed.

Karolina laughed and wrapped an arm around her. Then, she started to glow, “Better?”

“Better.”

* * *

 Karolina sucked in a breathe. Nico said the three words Karolina wanted to hear since she realized she was in love with Nico. She wished she hadn’t. Those three words would forever be entwined with this horrible day.

Then, light bathed the area. Rainbow light against rainbow light. Warmth accompanied the light. Karolina thought it was almost pleasant before the pain became evident. Brighter and brighter. Warmer and warmer. More painful and more painful.

Brighter and brighter. Warmer and warmer. More painful and more painful.

Brighter and brighter. Warmer and warmer. More painful and more painful.

Brighter and brighter. Warmer and warmer. More painful and more painful.  

Brighter and brighter. Warmer and warmer. More painful and more painful.

Brighter and brighter. Warmer and warmer. More painful and more painful.

Then, it flashed brighter than anything that she had ever seen in the entirety of her life. After that, light faded away, and darkness replaced it. Warmth faded away, and coolness replaced. Pain faded away, and peace replaced it.

* * *

 Stars glittered above them. Nico and Karolina laid on the ground, hands interlocked and looked up at the stars. Karolina turned her head on to the side and watched Nico. Nico was more beautiful than the stars that shined above her, that Karolina knew. She moved her head closer to Nico’s until she was close enough to press kisses along Nico’s neck and jawline.  

Silence, occasionally interrupted by the chirp of crickets, settled between them, both two comfortable in the moment to care about anything other than the steady beats of their hearts. Neither was sure how much time they spent watching the night sky.

Nico turned to face Karolina. She pressed her lips to Karolina’s and placed her hand on Karolina’s waist. The kissed for a few more moments before Nico pulled away.

Karolina pressed her forehead against Nico’s.

“I don’t know what I would ever do without you, Kar.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos give me life!
> 
> Talk to me on [tumblr!](http://lesbiankarolinadean.tumblr.com/)


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